A/N: Something a little new. A shoutout and thanks to my guest reviewers! Ur2Cool and peeeep, thank you for your encouragement! It really pepped me up to see your reviews and I really appreciate them! Thank you so much. Here's to hoping you stay with me through the next five years it'll take to finish this LMFAO.


Finn was snoring, wings tinkling like glass bells as they shivered, and for some reason Evie's bed was moving. She groaned sleepily, flopping over onto her back and throwing an arm over her eyes. Her mouth was fuzzy and gross, her body limp and heavy with sleep, and it was still dark outside in the fleeting glance she gave her window. In spite of it all, she felt buoyant– sleepily buoyant, true. A hand smoothed over her mussed, auburn hair and she squinted blearily through lashes and gross sleep crust to see Toby leaning over her with his usual foxish smirk and lazily half-lidded eyes.

"Eurgh?" Evie mumbled. The corners of her mouth trembled upwards and the buoyancy made sense again as his hand lingered on her cheek.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I'll see you later."

"Hng," she agreed with a little nod. Then, she tucked her face deeper into the pillow and curled into a ball. Sleep was already pulling her under to the sound of his chuckles. There was a slight dip in the bed and something soft, warm, and purring balled up in the curve of her stomach and arms.

...

Summer dawned hot, just bearably humid, and sunny at the much more reasonable hour of six a.m. Evie stood on her stoop, cat winding around her ankles, fairy buzzing at her ear, and a steaming cup of milk tea in hand. It was too early to really think, or move, her clothes hanging haphazardly around her frame evidence of her general grogginess. As a figure walked up the path to her house, horror swamped her thinking it might be Hamilton. Today was not a day she could handle the Mayor's absurd merriment. A moment later, the figure resolved into someone too tall to be the Mayor; Renee was humming and swinging a large basket as she crested the path. She was as chipper and fresh as she normally was at the disgustingly early hour, but fortunately Evie didn't have to put on a respectful face for Renee. Friends were great that way. …She really needed to send another email to Cris. She hadn't sent one since she got the cast off. She shoved aside the guilt and flapped a lazy wave in greeting.

"You look exhausted," Renee remarked, somehow amused and concerned at once.

"Apparently the festival was more excitement than I thought it was," Evie sighed. She wasn't deliberately avoiding mentioning Toby's sleepover, really. Of course, Sinatra used that moment to mewl piteously. Evie glanced down and levelled a serious, sardonic look at the tabby. "Kitty, I don't know what you expect from me. I'm not the one who works in a fishery."

Renee blinked down at the tabby in surprise. "Sinatra spent the night with you?"

"I woke to him on my face. He's lucky after the initial panicked flailing I decided it was funny," Evie told her with a glare down in Sinatra's direction. He purred and rubbed against her legs. "Ah, screw it, you're so flippin' cute." She sunk down and scooped him up to cuddle into his soft fur. She popped back up, empty mug dangling from one hand and cat cuddled under her chin. "What's up, Rey?" Evie asked with curious eyes on the basket.

Her fawn brown eyes lingered a moment longer on Sinatra's contented face, before seemingly shaking herself out of her own head. "Mama wanted me to hand out thank you gifts to all the volunteers. I decided we could turn yours into a shared breakfast," Renee informed her with a bright smile and a lift of her basket.

"Is that pancakes?" Finn exclaimed in delight, nose sniffing loud and obnoxiously.

"It's buckwheat pancakes and honey."

"Oh, she's the best!"

"You're the best," Evie echoed her fairy with a lopsided grin. "Lemme go feed my animals while you set up. It'll just take a second. I'm regular pro now."

Renee nodded and giggled. "I believe you. I think I may have something for Sinatra to eat in here, too." She plucked the empty mug from Evie's hand. Sinatra jumped down then and Evie pulled her gloves out of her back pocket while grinning in relief.

"That's great. I really had no idea what to give him. I don't even have fish in the house." Evie opened the door behind her to let Renee (and Sinatra) inside. "You're a life saver."

Renee waved her away with a pink-cheeked smile. Evie jogged towards her coop, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her gloves to wake up a bit more. With chickens and duckling fed, cow and sheep fed and brushed, and all of them let out into the early sunlight, Evie sank into her chair at her dining table with a grateful moan. The smell of honey and warm buckwheat had her belly outright roaring. Renee smiled and stacked Evie's plate high. Under the table, Sinatra was eating his own very small plate of honey and pancakes.

"I have fresh milk and some strawberries in the fridge… if you can call that rusty, whining piece of junk a fridge… You want some strawberry milk with this?" Evie offered graciously. Renee's already jovial face lit up. "I'll take that as a yes!"

"How'd you like the Festival?" Renee questioned when Evie returned with two full to brimming glasses of pink milk.

"It was fun! Next year, I'm going to enter Hera in the contest. Maybe I'll finally have a kitty of my own to enter, too. There's a sweet black one I've been buttering up by the Church."

"She's been up there for a while. I'm glad someone's finally interested in giving her a home. I'm more a dog person," Renee confessed with a guilty shrug of her shoulders.

"Not everyone is a cat person. Most people aren't, especially black cats. Good for me, though, since black cats are my favorite. Not that I don't love tabbies, huh, Sinatra?" Evie cooed, ducking under the table. He, of course, ignored her and licked his chops. "Rude." Evie popped back up with wide eyes to add, "Oh! Speaking of rude, did I say congrats on your win? And your third place with your sheep… uh…"

"Ruthie. You did, but thanks again," Renee replied with a bashful, pleased flush to her cheeks.

"So what's the plan for Horn Ranch on the first day of summer?" Evie prompted before shoveling in a mouthful and smearing honey over her mouth.

"Well, handing out all the gifts Mama put together, and then the usual. It's Sunday, so Kathy will be coming to Horn Ranch to ride, and then afternoon shop chores for Mama. It's not very exciting."

"I dunno, I think Kathy makes everything more exciting. She's really… lively," Evie decided on with a grin.

"Like you're one to talk. You managed to buy a farm, make it pretty prosperous, break a leg, find a Witch's house, meet a wizard, and become friends with almost everyone in town in less than a season. What was the Witch's house like?" Renee asked eagerly leaning forward on her elbows and propping her chin on her fists as her eyes gleamed.

"You've been waiting forever to ask, haven't you?" Evie accused lightly, eyes narrowed.

"Yes!" Renee exclaimed desperately. Evie laughed.

"It was pretty… creepy at first. It's in this patch of swamp, right? But it was totally different there, like a piece of summer got stuck in the woods and never left. And the house was dim and dusty and so quiet. And then this giant frog just popped out!" Evie began, hands and eyes and face exaggerating every sentence as she narrated. Renee oohed and awed at every right moment.

"There wasn't any sign of her at all?" she breathed out with disappointment apparent in her tone at the end of Evie's telling. Evie shook her head sadly and gulped down the last of her breakfast. "I've seen her a couple times before. I always thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I was really little, though, and I thought she was a real princess, and so mysterious and strange. My Mama and Papa wouldn't let me go to her house though. They told me she wasn't something a little girl should gawk at, which I'm sure they were right. But I wish I would've tried when I got a bit older. I can't help but think she must be lonely in that house, so far away from everyone," Renee mused remorsefully.

"Whenever she comes back, you can try again. But maybe she likes it. Some people just like being solitary," Evie pointed out. She got up then with a satisfying stretch. "I should clean up and get moving. I've still got crops to water and a coop to pay for before heading over to Harmonica."

"Harmonica?" Renee asked curiously as she picked up her own dishes to help.

"Yup. I'm meeting with Paolo and, I think, Phoebe. Apparently there's some machine they're working on to help with the lighthouse. And I was promised a key to the Watery Cave to get a look at one of those Bells everyone's talking about."

"Oh, that's right! You've been asking about those! Mama and Papa said you found one in our windmill."

"It was actually just the frame. It was just a happy accident, really," Evie said with an overly nonchalant shrug.

"I can't believe I forgot all about it being up there, though," Renee admonished herself.

"It's cool. The Mayor gave me a book about them just after I got here," she trailed off, eyes glancing towards Finn as they both giggled, remembering just why he had given her the book. Renee tipped her head, confused but politely silent. "Anyway, I guess I've just made it a… a hobby. To find them all. I guess. Like Pokemon. Gotta catch 'em and all that jazz," Evie quipped with an all-encompassing wave of her hand.

"Yes, of course, all that jazz," Renee teased. They rinsed off the dishes and headed out the door. Evie tried to mimic Toby's whistle of the night before when she held open the door for Renee and her basket. Surprisingly, it worked, and Sinatra came leaping towards them, then past them, like a streak of orange and white lightning.

"Maybe he really wanted out?" Evie muttered, nonplussed.

"I'll see you later, Evie!" Renee farewelled with a wave of her hand and her cute, cheery smile. Evie waved back– she had no idea of the private relief loosening the tension in Renee's chest.

...

Evie took the mine cart down to Harmonica, whooping enthusiastically as it swerved and rattled dangerously. There was still that dip of fear in her stomach, but it was more the kind of fear that made the adrenaline rush even more heady. She hopped out with steady legs and hurried on. There were a few longer than necessary moments wasted on petting the black cat on the Church Grounds, and feeding it the leftover bits of pancake she'd wrapped in napkin and brought with her. Soon enough, however, she was jogging towards the lighthouse, blood humming and skin flushed. Dale had promised the coop would be ready by the time she made it home that evening and she was way too excited about a chicken house. But who cared?! She owned that chicken house now!

"Are we going to fix up the house next, Evie? Mother says the big storms are coming soon and we're gonna get all wet in the house! Maybe we should stay with Mother during the storms," Finn chattered, worry and hope equally high.

"It rained a few times during spring and we were fine. I'd rather fix the barn first. I use Hera and Clotho for their milk and wool, the least I could do is make sure they don't get rained on or sick," Evie stated firmly.

"I guess you're right," Finn conceded. "You should think about staying with Mother during the big storms, though! It's always summer at the Spring."

"I promise to think about it," Evie caved with a huffed laugh. She shoved open the door of the lighthouse, peering around it with a hesitant "halloo?"

"I'm here!" Paolo exclaimed behind a pile of old sailing (and surfing?) equipment. He popped out and tumbled out of the mess with an excited grin.

"Is Phoebe here yet?" Evie queried, tipping up onto her toes to search for Phoebe's telltale jade locks behind the mess and piles.

"No, not yet. It's still early, though. She likes to work in her laboratory in the mornings, but Toby said we could find him when you get here and go scope out the Cave!" Paolo enthused, round face shining with eagerness.

"You're going to come with us?" Evie asked, grinning at his infectious excitement.

"Yup! I haven't been able to play in there since… well, since me n' Chloe forgot to tell anyone we went. We didn't mean to stay that long! We were just gonna try and find some old cans, there's lots of them in there, but everything was so cool and creepy, we just forgot… to leave?" Paolo admitted guiltily.

"Mhm, I heard a little about that. If you disappear on me, I've got a worse punishment than just locking a gate," Evie warned with arms crossed over her chest.

"What's worse than that?" Paolo asked, nose scrunching adorably.

"I'll hold your hand," Evie taunted. The horror on his face was pure gold.

"I'm eleven, I don't need to hold anyone's hand!" Paolo protested vehemently.

"Disappear on me in a dangerous Cave, and you won't have a choice, buster. We got a deal?" Evie demanded ruthlessly. Hopefully, the mirth wasn't too obvious on her face.

"Yeah, yeah. Toby would probably let you, too," Paolo agreed with a put-upon sigh. His foxy little face peered up at her, and she could've sworn he looked sly for a moment. But Paolo was too sweet to be sly , right? "Sooo, Toby didn't come home last night. He won't tell me where he stayed last night. Do you think it was with… Julius?"

Okay, the kid was definitely sneaky. Evie felt her face flush bright red.

"I didn't realize he and Julius were so close," she hedged, oh-so-brilliantly. "We better head up to the Fishery. I really wanna see that Cave."

"Why won't you tell him Toby stayed with us, Evie? What if he's worried?" Finn asked in confusion. Paolo frowned and swung his head around.

"Hey, do you hear bells?"

"Do you have a wind-chime, maybe?" Evie suggested airily, following it up with a swift exit. Paolo was fast on her heels, still glancing around them.

"I think he heard me!" Finn whispered. Paolo jerked his head around and squinted straight at Finn's dancing little light. "Does he see me?"

"Huh, it kinda looks like… nah, I'm probably seeing things." Paolo scratched under his hat, knocking it askew. Evie and Finn exchanged a look as the bridge rattled under her and Paolo's feet.

"Are you sure you're seeing things?" Evie finally asked, gaze serious as it met Paolo's baffled one. His eyes flickered over to Finn's dancing light and she wondered just how much he saw.

"Yeah? I mean I can't… they don't–"

"Sh! Don't say it!" Evie interrupted, placing a finger over her lips and grinning. "Didn't you hear what happens if you say it?"

Paolo's expression became downright confounded.

"If you say it out loud, a fairy falls down dead."

"They do!?" Finn shrieked in alarm. He whizzed to where her neck met her shoulder and shuddered in terror.

"No, Finn, it's a saying, from Peter Pan. The play or the book, I can't remember, but I heard it in an old movie called 'Hook'," Evie assured him quickly, rubbing her cheek against his head.

"That's not a very nice thing to say in front of a fairy," Finn grumbled without moving. Evie chuckled softly.

"Sorry, Finn."

"Finn?" Paolo repeated dumbly. His eyes glued themselves to the trembling light under Evie's chin. "Finn."

Evie nodded and winked, but the conversation dropped as Toby walked up the dock to meet them at the Fishery.

"I saw you coming back from the lighthouse. I'm sorry it took this long to keep my promise," Toby explained with an easy smile. Evie blushed as their eyes met, a matching smile curling up her lips. His attention was distracted from her, his eyebrow rising as he looked down at Paolo. "Is something the matter, squirt?" The eleven-year-old jumped and tore his eyes away from Finn.

"N-No! No, it's nothing. And I'm gonna get taller one day!" Paolo retorted in offense.

"Sure, one day. Until then, you're still a squirt," Toby teased, rubbing the top of Paolo's head so that his hat fell over his eye and ear lopsided.

"Hey," Paolo whined with a short laugh.

"What promise did you mean?" Evie asked once the two relatives, who acted more like brothers than cousins, started to lead her away.

"The one about the Bell. I said I knew where an old Bell was, remember? We're going there now," Toby reminded her.

Evie's eyes widened. "That's right! You said it was in a Cave weeks ago. The one that Paolo and Chloe got lost in! I can't believe I didn't make the connection. I… totally forgot…" she admitted, wide-eyed and sheepish. Toby just laughed.

"We didn't get lost! You just didn't know where we were," Paolo protested indignantly. Toby's sardonically raised eyebrow had Paolo deflating immediately. "Sorry."

Toby led them up a few stairs and past Ocarina Inn. Maya was outside sweeping the stone pathway, humming cheerfully, but stopped to wave exuberantly. They exchanged brief good mornings before continuing forward, mostly urged on by an impatient Paolo (and Finn). Too impatient to keep a steady pace, Paolo and Finn hurried on ahead while Toby and Evie strolled leisurely, shoulders brushing occasionally and eyes meeting over private, rather silly-looking smiles. Paolo was perched on the second from the top rung of a rusty, green-painted fence, leaning on his hands and perilously close to toppling right over. Finn fluttered around Paolo's head, too eager to keep still. Evie caught Paolo's eye catching on the darting little ball of light in confusion and something like wonder. Toby pinched one of Paolo's ears between his fingers and tugged just enough for Paolo to scramble off the fence with a surprised yelp.

"I will send you home if you can't prove to be careful, Pao," Toby threatened seriously.

"I'll be careful! I wasn't gonna fall. Jeesh, it's like you don't trust me at all. Everyone knows it was all Chloe's idea," Paolo argued, rubbing his ear and trying not to pout.

Toby handed Evie a large, iron key. The hilt of it was enameled blue filigree, ornate and large enough to fill the entire cup of her palm. She and Finn ooh ed over it for just a second before she stepped up to the gate and fitted it in the lock.

"I feel like I'm finding the Secret Garden, but, like, a more watery, briney kinda deal," Evie joked as she twisted the key with a squeal of rust and iron on iron.

"I can personally attest to no one dying in this 'garden', however," Toby told her dryly, though his lips twitched.

"That's a relief," Finn and Evie said simultaneously. She had to fight the urge to look over and grin at the sprite.

"You take all the fun outta things, Toby. We coulda come up with a super scary ghost story to tell her instead," Paolo complained. He hopped onto the fence and swung it forward with a whoop. It was slow, the iron hinges too corroded by salt and age, but Toby still frowned slightly at Paola's back. It wobbled and bobbed gradually over the last of the stone walkway before Paolo hopped off onto the beginning of the rocky path into the Cave.

"C'mon, slowpokes!" Paolo crowed with a flourish of both arms.

"We're right behind you," Toby replied, gesturing for Paolo to keep going. The preteen bound ahead, careful not to actually run over the quickly dampening rocks. The fisherman paused to pull the gate key free and pocket it again. "I'll talk to Ozzie about keeping this open. Paolo knows not to come in here without an adult anymore. I doubt even the mastermind Chloe could convince him to, not when he knows we will close it. He likes coming down here too much to lose it again," Toby told her with a conspiratorial wink at Evie. She laughed and bumped their shoulders together.

"I didn't think you could be so… responsible. Seeing you with Paolo, it's really cute," Evie murmured with none-too-little admiration. Toby shrugged, though his cheeks pinkened lightly.

"He's a good kid, and I've been like a really big brother since the beginning. I don't even mean to," Toby demurred modestly. Evie slipped her hand into his, keeping them hidden in the billowing folds of his clothes.

"I remember."

They walked into the Cave side-by-side. The dark and the wet made a damp cold that sunk straight to her bones. She shivered lightly as their footsteps squelched and echoed, mixing with the haunting sound of drips and sloshing water. The moment they walked in, Evie locked her eyes on the giant blue Frame right across from the entrance. Hanging innocuously from the arch was the large Blue Bell.

"It's actually here," Evie exclaimed breathlessly. Her hand fell from Toby's as she rushed forward, Finn darting along in her wake.

"We don't have to look for it or fill it up with moonlight, it's right there!" Finn exulted joyously.

Evie moved so quickly that she reached the Bell before Toby or Paolo could say anything. The moment her feet crossed over some invisible line, the Blue Bell glowed and began to shake. The cavern filled with light, as bright as day, but cool and blue instead of warm. The light seemed to shimmer and ripple like waves over the walls, washing over her as if it were weightless water. She closed her eyes, taking a gulping, bracing breath and holding it. She shivered, but more because she felt like she should than because she was actually cold or wet. As a matter of fact, she felt warmer now than when she first entered the Cave.

"It's okay now. You can open your eyes. And breathe, too!" chirped a happy, squeaky voice.

Evie and Finn blinked their eyes open. A blue-clad pixie hovered just in front of the Bell with a large, sunny smile on his face.

"Hello, I'm Ben, the Sprite of Water and the Blue Bell. You must be the hero. It's so good that you've come at last!" Ben greeted enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it's great to meet you–" She broke off and cringed. "I probably need to explain this to the two guys behind me, don't I?" She moved to turn, but Ben let out a wordless cry of dismay.

"No, no! Don't do that!" he exclaimed, arms flailing. Evie gaped up at him, body frozen in a strange, half-twisted position. "It's the magic of the Bell. Only people who can see fairies can see or hear us right now."

"You mean I just disappeared!?" Evie demanded in horror. "Toby and Paolo must be freaking out!"

"No, not that. It's… It's as if time has stopped for us, or perhaps it's more like we're somewhere between time right now," Ben mused pensively, his tiny hand cupping his chin and tapping at his lip. "As long as you don't look back at them, the spell prevents anyone from interrupting us."

"That's why Toby didn't see Collin on the beach," Evie realized.

"Exactly!" the sprite agreed happily. He tilted his head curiously and asked, "Who's Toby?"

"A friend, who's now been around for two conversations with two different fairies," Evie snorted with a shake of her head. "You are very… articulate for a sprite," she added a little incredulously. Ben preened.

"I'm very well read. I love books! I read bunches and bunches of them. I especially like science. It's like magic, but with explanations and experiments. I wish I could talk to more humans and ask them more about science," Ben sighed wistfully.

"It's too bad you can't talk to Phoebe or Paolo… I would talk to you about science, but science isn't really my thing. I like old stuff, like Latin and Greek and legends," Evie said apologetically. Ben's big blue eyes lit up.

"Ooohh, I like those things, too!"

"We're not here to talk about science and old stuff!" Finn interjected with wild flailings of his arms and legs, his wings trilling like alarm bells. "We're here about the Bell!"

"Oh, yes, I forgot!" Ben gasped. He actually blushed, which was probably the cutest thing ever . Evie had to shove her hands in her pockets to keep from pinching his pudgy, red cheeks.

"Sorry, Finn. We just got a little distracted."

"First, I need to make sure our missions are one and the same," Ben said, puffing up his chest and looking as serious as possible.

"Uh… the Blue Bell? We're supposed to Ring it?" Evie answered, bewildered.

"Good! I'm glad you're finally here to help the Harvest Goddess. We've been waiting a long time for you." He suddenly looked edgy, fingers fidgeting and eyes shifty. "I… uh, tried to Ring the Bell earlier… but, uh, never mind. Let's try Ringing it again!" Ben said with obviously forced optimism. He spun around before Evie or Finn could press him further and raised both his tiny arms high.

"Now, Blue Bell! May you play your melody! Melody of the Bell, may you Ring throughout the land!" Evie and Finn blinked, but the Bell didn't so much as twinkle. Ben cleared his throat. "… Ring throughout the land!" he said again, though his voice wavered.

Again, silence.

"It… It didn't work!" Ben cried, spinning back around. His eyes were shiny with guilty tears. "I didn't want to say anything, but… but… I can't remember the Bell's melody!"

"What?!" Evie and Finn gasped in shock. Ben collapsed in on himself as he choked out sobs.

"I'm… I'm n-not w-worthy of b-being a Harvest Sprite! I c-c-can't even Ring my B-Bell!" he wailed, shaking his head. "I'm t-too ashamed to show m-my face to the Goddess." He burst into a halo of blue lights and disappeared.

"What do we do now?" Finn asked worriedly. Evie shook her head, biting down on her thumbnail.

"I don't know. Poor Ben," she replied, her own concern high.

"Evvy? What's wrong?" Toby queried as he stepped up next to her. Evie jumped and squeaked.

"N-Nothing!" Evie stuttered. Toby frowned slightly, but let it drop. Paolo popped up from behind Toby, looking confused and pale.

"Evie, did the Bell glow?" the boy asked anxiously. Toby glanced down at Paolo, his concern growing, missing the shell-shocked look on Evie's face.

"Paolo, the Bell hasn't Rung in decades," Toby told him gently. Paolo shook his head.

"I'm sure I saw it glow. And I heard it! I heard the fairy talking! His name was Ben!" Paolo insisted. "He said he didn't remember the melody! Right, Evie? Fairies are real, aren't they?"

Evie dropped to her knees to meet Paolo's eyes. He looked sad and confused, but hopeful, too. "I believe in fairies, Paolo." From just outside Evie peripheral, Toby started slightly and stared down at her serious and gentle expression as she looked Paolo in the eye. "Did you see Ben?" she asked kindly. Paolo hesitated, but slowly shook his head.

"It was fuzzy, like a bad radio connection, you know? But I heard him say he can't remember the melody! I wanted to tell him I could help him, but I couldn't talk or move!" Paolo explained, highly agitated. Toby was frowning, looking between his cousin and his– and Evie, but he didn't interrupt.

"He can help us? He heard Ben!? Evie, it's working! You're bringing magic back and the children are started to believe in fairies again!" Finn gasped, wings chiming out of control in his glee.

"Was it… was it real, Evie?" Paolo breathed as hope overtook his fear and worry. Evie smiled brightly.

"It's real if you believe in it, Paolo. How can you help Ben? Could you tell me?" Evie asked, reaching out to brace her hands on his shoulders. He nodded rapidly.

"It's the Apparatus me n' Phoebe are going to show you! There's a town melody, but nobody remembers what it sounds like. If we can get the Apparatus to work, we can recreate the melody. I thought if we can get it to work, it can fix the aqueduct, too, and the lighthouse! I read it in one of Mr. Hamilton's old books. Phoebe isn't sure it can work, but she said she'd help because it sounded interesting. But I know if we can make it work, then the Bell will Ring again and the aqueduct will have water again, too!" Paolo told her with fierce determination shining on his face.

"All right, then that's what we'll do. I was already going to come see it. I'll make sure we get it to work," Evie promised. Paolo grinned widely.

"You really believe me? You really think it'll help?"

"Well, now that we know that a fairy needs the melody to Ring the Bell, then making the melody is exactly what we need to do to help him, right?" Evie pointed out. "What book was it? Was it… the 'Legend of the Bells'?"

"I think so…" Paolo trailed off in thought. Toby stepped forward and rested his hand on Paolo's shoulder. Both boy and rancher jumped in shock, clearly having forgotten Toby was still there.

"It was. I was the one that returned it to Hamilton, I remember that book," Toby assured them. Evie and Paola stared up at him, expressions almost identical in surprise and apprehension. Slowly, his smile reappeared and he squeezed Paolo's shoulder a little tighter. "I'm sorry I wouldn't listen, Paolo."

All three froze for a long moment, relief replacing apprehension as Toby clearly threw in his support with them. Despite the talk of fairies and magic. Evie's heart thudded too hard, hands hanging awkwardly over her knees, as she gazed upwards. She'd tried so hard to be careful. The last person she wanted to think her strange or delusional was now one of the first to hear her talk about fairies like friends, and he just… smiled and apologized for not believing sooner.

"It's okay, Toby. You're too old to believe in magic," Paolo said with a shrug and effectively breaking through the heavy if bright feeling wrapped around them. Evie and Finn both burst into giggles at Toby's beleaguered sigh.

"I'm either called a kid or an old man. I really don't know what I've done to deserve this."

"You are old. You're almost thirty," Paolo pointed out, like the little shit he apparently was.

Toby rubbed a hand over his face while Evie cackled. "So old. Absolutely decrepit," she concurred.

"Twenty-six is not 'almost thirty'."

"It is, too. In math you round up after 5," Paolo argued, arms crossing. There was an implied 'don't you know anything' heavy in his tone. Evie fell on her butt, hands slapping to the stone and laughing hard enough she shook with it.

"Sorry, Tobes, you can't argue with math," Evie gasped.

"I'm glad you think this is hilarious."

"It's alright, Toby. You're never too old for sleepovers," Paolo reassured him in a very serious and encouraging tone, patting his arm comfortingly. Evie's laugh broke off with a gurgling choking sound as Toby's jaw dropped. Paolo bounced past them, whistling cheerfully. "I'll go see if Ms. Phoebe's at the lighthouse yet!"

"Oh, he's sneaky. He looks so innocent and cute and then he just pulls one out from under you," Evie exhaled, impressed and unsettled at once.

"He's also a lot more observant than I realized," Toby agreed with a humorous twist of his mouth. He held out his hand to Evie, but she was halfway back to her feet before she noticed. She grinned and clasped his hand firmly once she was on her feet. She didn't quite understand the quietly amused chuckles Toby let out, but it wasn't a bad sound, so she let it slide.

"Let's go see his Apparatus plans."

"You… you were serious," Toby stated a long moment later. Evie turned to him with a questioning frown. "About believing in magic. You believed Paolo immediately and asked for his help." They walked out of the Cave– back into the summer's warmth and light and blinking at the abrupt brightness. Evie was more than usually grateful for the sunlight blinding her, giving her the time she needed to collect herself and answer the best she could.

"Of course, you've heard everyone talk about hearing Bells. Don't you believe in them? In the Harvest Goddess and her sprites?" Evie replied with forced nonchalance.

"I guess, I do… a little. My parents stopped believing when I was young, probably around the time they decided to leave. A part of me stopped believing with them, because they were my parents," Toby haltingly reasoned. "Then, I thought I was too grown up to believe in fairies."

"You're never too old to believe in fairies!" Finn retorted indignantly. Evie smiled.

"Magic doesn't exist only for the young, Tobes. It's okay to believe even if you're a decrepit old man," Evie teased, bumping their hips together. Toby huffed in amusement, and squeezed her hands in his gently.

"You don't have any trouble believing at all?"

Evie paused and looked over at Finn, whose expression was curious and open. "I did. Before I came here. Maybe that's why a part of me was always unhappy," she explained with an awkward flutter of her gloved hands. "I felt so… empty without magic. With not allowing myself to really believe anymore."

"We were empty without you, too, Evie," Finn whispered, snuggling under her chin happily. Evie smiled and closed her eyes to lay her cheek to Finn's head.

"But now it's everywhere. In legends and Bells and everyone's worry becoming hope," Evie continued, auburn eyes lighting up as she gazed towards the town. "How could you live here and not believe in magic?"

"How could I, indeed," Toby agreed, his considering gaze on Evie's profile.

"There you two are," Phoebe spoke up from ahead of them. They both jumped in surprise and Phoebe shook her head with a smirk. "Paolo ran up cackling like a hyena and said you two were probably being gross old people somewhere. Guess he was right."

"No, we just aren't running everywhere. Sorry to keep you waiting," Evie scoffed with an eye roll. Her hand fell away from Toby's discreetly and she hurried forward to shake Phoebe's hand. "You never did come by with those Doctor Who DVDs."

"You also didn't spend nearly as much time resting in one place as you were supposed to," Phoebe responded drolly. "I came by a couple times and you weren't home. You don't have a telephone, either."

Evie blushed red with guilt. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I should've come by after the Circus and I kept forgetting. Happy belated birthday!"

"Thanks, Evie." Phoebe waved a hand carelessly with a shy duck of her head. "Circuses and karaoke nights aren't exactly my thing. I enjoyed visiting my old college buddies. You really should get a phone, though. We can set plans down in stone. I don't leave Garmon District very often unless I have a reason. As we do now."

"We should probably hurry on before Paolo starts calling me old again," Toby suggested, a slightly pleading note in his words. Evie chuckled behind her fist.

"Twenty-six is almost thirty," Phoebe deadpanned. Toby threw his hands up, groaning, and Evie burst out laughing. Phoebe's mouth twitched and she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

They made it to the lighthouse soon after that, Phoebe and Evie a few steps ahead of Toby as they discussed the Doctor's different companions animatedly until they made it inside where Paolo waited. Toby himself stayed out of the way, sitting in a corner and taking out his tackle box to fix a few loose hooks to their lures. Paolo was frowning at the giant piece of parchment Evie had thought to be a treasure map. When she got close and actually looked, however, it looked like a strange diagram involving different buildings and structures in the town.

"This is the Melody Apparatus. Paolo was sure if we could get it to work just right, we would recreate the old town melody and somehow this could fix the aqueduct. I'm not sure how the two things correlate, but it was a fascinating challenge," Phoebe explained.

"It does correlate. The 'Legend of the Bells' said so, and so did Ben!" Paolo retorted.

"Ben?" Phoebe repeated in confusion.

"That's not the point right now," Evie interjected quickly. "The point is making this thing work… can it?" she asked, her head cocked to one side and her brows furrowed.

"There's something missing, right here," Paolo answered, chewing on the end of a red crayon.

"Ah, you forgot about the scale to reach the anemometer. Do you recall our last discussion?" Phoebe prompted, tapping a large blank space on the parchment.

"Oh right!" Paolo grinned and hurriedly scribbled a scale and… a small shiny ball?

"What's an… a-nee-no-meter? That just looks like a ball," Evie said, foot tapping on the ground.

"An anemometer is this, actually," Phoebe explained patiently, tapping at the crude drawing. "It measures the speed of wind. Because it has these cups, here, it can catch the pearl from the scale, here. There needs to be a sufficient amount of force on this side to pitch the pearl high enough, however. Oh, a duck egg. Much better than the chicken egg idea. They tend to be larger and heavier than a chicken's egg." Phoebe nodded her approval. "I was worried it may shatter on impact."

"Wait, so we need a duck egg, a pearl, and… is that five fish?" Evie clarified, her index finger hovering over each item and their paths.

"A black pearl, specifically. The usual, easier to find white pearls have irregular sizes and shapes. Black pearls are slightly smaller and quite spherical," Phoebe corrected.

"The fish is easy! Any five fish should work. But to make the anemometer part work, it needs to be a windy day. A very windy day," Paolo added emphatically.

"And the fish, when they land here at the end, that makes the melody?" Evie asked. Paolo and Phoebe nodded.

"They should be released at just the right time, with just enough speed, to land in the sequence we need. I would prefer having all of the same species, but Paolo is sure that won't matter."

"Fish are fish," he said with a shrug. "They may look different, but they're still fish. We should stick to seawater, though. This pool and the fountain feed into the sea. It'll kill any freshwater fish we put it," he warned.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about using fish in an experiment, like they're toys," Toby spoke up from the corner. Phoebe sighed in exasperation.

"You literally catch fish for a living, Fisher. Sticking them with a hook through their mouths is basically torture, but you don't have a problem with that." Her argument sounded tired and rehearsed. By the equally frustrated look on Toby's face, his reply was also repetition.

"It's for food. To make a living. I don't experiment and play with them needlessly. The least you could do is make sure they won't die at the end without reason."

"The Apparatus is a very good reason!"

"No, Toby's right. The least we can do is make sure they're seawater fish. It's not so hard," Paolo interrupted firmly. "It's my Apparatus."

Phoebe and Toby broke off, looking contrite. Evie glanced between them and then met Paolo's eyes. He rolled them so hard it looked painful and Evie bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"So I have a duckling, and it'll be big enough to produce eggs soon enough. Fish are easy enough to catch. All we really need is this black pearl here and a windy day," Evie proclaimed, dusting off her hands. "Where do I get the pearl?"

"In the Cave! It's one of the reasons I bugged Toby about opening the gate today!" Paolo announced eagerly. "And for letting me in again. I can help you find it!"

"I can as well. I've been meaning to spend a day down there. They say Rare Ores are especially easy to find in the mining areas," Phoebe offered.

"My uncle used to go down there often. There are very rare fish on the lowest floor so he's been through the entire thing a handful of times. He might be able to give you a clue where to find exactly what you're looking for," Toby also proposed helpfully. Evie clapped her hands together.

"Awesome! It's time for mining again!"

"Oh noooo," Finn wailed.

"Should I bring a spare crutch, just in case?" Phoebe suggested wryly. Toby and Paolo both laughed while Evie pouted in offense.


A/N: So I realized on SUNDAY that I accidentally fudged up the update day and only gave myself a week, instead of two, to do this. LOL So, instead of pushing it back, I powered through and my Beta pulled through with me! 3 What a super trooper!

BY THE WAY, after the next chapter is the first of the timestamps! Technically this is a "series" on AO3, and we're finally getting to the reason why! It'll focus on the ever amazing Kathy, too~ I hope you guys like it when we get there... This chapter is basically filler, but Paolo is a little hilarious shit and I personally love Ben the Blue Sprite, so enjoy the filler with me?

Next Update: 6/21/2017